June 14, 2006

Fading Fabric

OK color week is fun and all but I feel like a kid trying to play the quiet game! I can't stand it anymore. I tend to get a little long winded with my posts (sorry) and I'm just busting at the seams after a couple of one sentence-ers. Speaking of color I am going to make a baby quilt. My first baby quilt. It will be for my great niece who is expected to make her arrival in September. Her mom is decorating the nursery in a Peter Rabbit theme. Today I made a memo board using some fabric she gave me to use in the quilt.

I said "speaking of color" and then didn't. Did you catch that? I'm such a scatter brain. About color... here's the fabric that I plan to use for the quilt. I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. I have no idea how I'm going to make this quilt. I hope it doesn't come out looking like a purse.

A couple of the prints were a little too bright so I bleached them. (finally the color part) The June issue of Martha Stewart Living had an article on fading floral cotton fabric by soaking them in a bleach and water bath. The article also features fabric that has been bleached then over dyed. A very cool technique I may try another day. For today the bleaching provided just the soft look I have in mind for the quilt.

The colors in this print just softened a bit. A subtle difference.

In the picture above the green print did something funny. (Click for a bigger view) It didn't really fade, it seemed to get brighter. It went from a soft green to aqua. ??? The pink polka dot faded nicely to a peachy pink. The last print won't be used in the quilt. I bought this piece specifically to try this technique and it had the best results. Now I'll be scouring the clearance section of the fabric store for bright floral prints that can be faded into something soft and pretty.

** A little tip for getting the smell of bleach (or onions, garlic etc...) off your hands. Rub them on something made of stainless steel while washing them. ( I use a spoon )

Comments

Fading Fabric

OK color week is fun and all but I feel like a kid trying to play the quiet game! I can't stand it anymore. I tend to get a little long winded with my posts (sorry) and I'm just busting at the seams after a couple of one sentence-ers. Speaking of color I am going to make a baby quilt. My first baby quilt. It will be for my great niece who is expected to make her arrival in September. Her mom is decorating the nursery in a Peter Rabbit theme. Today I made a memo board using some fabric she gave me to use in the quilt.

I said "speaking of color" and then didn't. Did you catch that? I'm such a scatter brain. About color... here's the fabric that I plan to use for the quilt. I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. I have no idea how I'm going to make this quilt. I hope it doesn't come out looking like a purse.

A couple of the prints were a little too bright so I bleached them. (finally the color part) The June issue of Martha Stewart Living had an article on fading floral cotton fabric by soaking them in a bleach and water bath. The article also features fabric that has been bleached then over dyed. A very cool technique I may try another day. For today the bleaching provided just the soft look I have in mind for the quilt.

The colors in this print just softened a bit. A subtle difference.

In the picture above the green print did something funny. (Click for a bigger view) It didn't really fade, it seemed to get brighter. It went from a soft green to aqua. ??? The pink polka dot faded nicely to a peachy pink. The last print won't be used in the quilt. I bought this piece specifically to try this technique and it had the best results. Now I'll be scouring the clearance section of the fabric store for bright floral prints that can be faded into something soft and pretty.

** A little tip for getting the smell of bleach (or onions, garlic etc...) off your hands. Rub them on something made of stainless steel while washing them. ( I use a spoon )